Now is the time for us to demand the government to keep the resolutions made in the Diet and its pledge to protect the key agricultural products. As the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks enter a crucial stage, the Japanese government is trying to keep pace with the United States which is eager to strike a political deal by the end of this year. A citizens’ meeting was held in Tokyo on Tuesday, December 3, to urge the government to maintain its own stance in the TPP talks. The government should not break the promise it made with the Japanese people to protect the five key agricultural products and food safety. In the TPP ministerial meeting scheduled to start on Saturday, December 7, the government must make a do-or-die effort to realize this goal.
The U.S. government, determined to reach agreement, is politically pressuring other member countries. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s visit to Tokyo followed by a visit by Vice President Joe Biden reflects the U.S.’ apparent intention to press Japan to abolish tariffs on the five agricultural products, backed by the hard line stance of Congress which refuses to compromise on the issue.
Our distrust for the government is deeper than ever, as it refuses to disclose information on the TPP negotiations which is in their final stage. In the U.S., jurists are criticizing the behind-the-door negotiations and sent an open letter to President Barack Obama, calling for information disclosure. But in Japan, even if the secretive government repeatedly insists that it will protect what should be protected, keep its promise and national benefits through a strong negotiating power and says it will not compromise even an inch, the Japanese public does not have the information to see whether the remarks are true.
The only thing which ensures that the government will meet its promise is the resolutions made by the agricultural subcommittees of the upper and lower houses of the Diet, and the campaign pledge made by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The Diet resolutions call on the government to exempt the five agricultural products from negotiation on tariff cuts or leave them out to be renegotiated in the future. They say the government should withdraw from the negotiations if such exemption is denied. They also clearly state that they do not accept even 10-year phase out of tariffs. Based on the resolutions, the government must dauntlessly refuse such proposals as delaying tariff cuts for a certain period of time. The resolutions also call for ensuring food safety through such measures as requiring indications of genetically modified food products and country of origin for imported ingredients, while opposing inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement provisions which could infringe on national sovereignty.
At the meeting on the TPP talks, LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba vowed to keep the resolutions. The government should take to heart that the resolutions indicate the will of the Diet, the highest organ of state power. They also reflect the will of the Japanese people. It is against the parliamentary system for the government to ignore the resolutions and rush to make political concessions.
The participants of the meeting, including the Japan Agricultural Cooperative group, agricultural industry groups and consumers’ organizations, unanimously called on the government to follow the resolutions. We especially welcome participation by the Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union. Joint efforts by the nation’s largest producers’ association and the largest consumers’ association will become a great power. On Sunday, December 8, a network of lawyers opposing the TPP talks, a group of anti-TPP university professors and the Housewives’ Federation will also hold a large-scale meeting in Tokyo, supported by some 130 organizations. Voices of concern are spreading throughout the nation, and are also coming from local assemblies. People will not support politics if leaders neglect their voices. The government must definitely realize the resolutions. If that is not possible, it should immediately walk away from the negotiating table.
(Dec. 4, 2013)